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Southern Poverty Law Center 'Apologizes' To Ben Carson For Putting Him On 'Extreme Files'

The Southern Poverty Law Center has “apologized” to Dr. Ben Carson for placing the potential 2016 presidential candidate on their “Extreme File” for his views supporting traditional marriage, criticizing Obama, and promoting “biblical economic practices for 21st century America.”

In the so-called apology to Carson, the SPLC admits they decided to re-review Carson’s file only after they came under intense scrutiny and criticism for placing him there in the first place.

“In October 2014, we posted an 'Extremist File' of Dr. Ben Carson. This week, as we've come under intense criticism for doing so, we've reviewed our profile and have concluded that it did not meet our standards, so we have taken it down and apologize to Dr. Carson for having posted it,” they wrote in a statement.

The apology is short-lived because in the next paragraph the SPLC says that whether or not Carson should be included in their “Extremist Files,” he has expressed views that most people would find extreme.

“We've also come to the conclusion that the question of whether a better-researched profile of Dr. Carson should or should not be included in our 'Extremist Files' is taking attention from the fact that Dr. Carson has, in fact, made a number of statements that express views that we believe most people would conclude are extreme. They are described below.”

The SPLC then lauds Carson for his inspiring story before listing nearly three pages of quotes that they deem to be “extreme.”

“We laud Dr. Carson for his many contributions to medicine and his philanthropic work, and we, like so many others, are inspired by his personal story. Nevertheless, particularly because Dr. Carson is such a prominent person, we believe that his views should be closely examined.”

Click here to read the full apology and the many “extremist” views that the SPLC lists.